The city’s first painted plow takes to the roads this winter with a reminder to reduce salt use to help protect the environment. Keep an eye out for the colorful plow and follow these tips to be safe and salt-smart:
Shovel early and often. Deicers work best for melting thin layers of snow or ice. So, shovel first, break up any ice patches you can and then add the deicer.
Use less salt. Sprinkle deicer sparingly and evenly and leave space between the grains. More is not better. A 12-ounce mug of salt is enough to treat a 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares. Consider organic, salt-free and pet-safe deicers.
Sweep and reuse. After a weather event, sweep and collect any sand, salt or undissolved deicer. Any excess can be reused for the next storm. Letting it run off into waterways is harmful to drinking water and wildlife.
Are you a business owner or property manager? Find salt best practices and tips for hiring a winter maintenance professional at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/salt.
Learn more about the plow painting project at RockvilleReports.com/paint-the-plow.